Cathy Come Home (1964)
This is the story of many societies. The urban dwellers, unable to keep up in the rat race, get left behind. Initially occupying the centre of the city, as their earning capacity declines or the opportunity dwindles, they get displaced. Slowly they abandon their urban dwelling to sojourn for something modest at its fringes. With further obstacles, they go further to the suburbs. In the best of times, they form the backbone of the workforce. As the economic pie gets smaller and the profit to the bosses takes a dip, they are replaced by economic migrants who would work for a song.
And the original urban dwellers would show their resentment to the migrants and the system they plunge further into hopelessness. The bourgeoisie blames the poor for taking it easy, for their decadence and not saving for a rainy day. The poor feels that it is their birthright to be cared for, after all, they contributed immensely to the progress of the country. The politicians try to be the nice one to all parties. They need the poors' votes and the wealthy's financial support. Does it all sound too familiar?
This problem was there in the post-WW2 Britain, and it is here in 21st century Malaysia. It is the familiar story of the marginalised.
This 1964 offering appeared as a TV drama on the BBC as a sort of a public service to announce to the general public about the urban poor and their desperate situation being pushed around like herds by the system which was ill-prepared to cater for their housing needs. The portrayal of Cathy by Carol White was so convincing that she was often stopped in the streets to be pushed money in the hand and friendly words of encouragement!
This show was shot and told in a documentary-neorealistic style with mostly outdoor shooting straying away from studio dramas which were norm those days.
A free-spirited easy going girl, Cathy, meets Reg, a crane driver or something of sorts. With the spring of youth and the spirit of optimism, they plunge into matrimony only to discover that life is not a bed of roses. Hardship rears its ugly head in various forms. Reg gets injured and loses his job. People look at children as God's gift to humankind and that there can be nothing more precious than own flesh, bone and DNA. So, Cathy and Reg receive the news of her pregnancy with open arms. She stops working. Then comes another baby and another. What can they do? It is just an act of love and of God through Man.
Their kind landlady dies, and her next of kins demand Cathy's arrears of rent. Soon they join the long list of the homeless. The queue for government housing facility is endless. They are shooed away like flies as they occupy caravans and empty spaces. Their children just grow like wildflowers, without necessary medical attention and educational needs. The relationship between adults is also not exemplary but go on by making the best of what they have and making themselves feeling contented.
Cathy and Reg lose a child in a fire. She eventually gets a temporary shelter for herself and the two kids, but her husband is not welcome. Slowly, the family breaks up. Reg rarely visits his family, Cathy loses her temporary accommodation and also her children to social services when they are forcibly removed from her when she is seen strolling aimlessly at the railway station.
The film created such an impact after its release that the issue of homelessness became a national agenda and was discussed in the Parliament. Sadly, as the director, Ken Loach puts it, it was a storm in a teacup. It was business as usual for the capitalist. Loach went on to direct many social awakening films. His latest offering is the dilemma of a working class man who has to work to support himself due to bureaucratic rulings but against his doctors' advice.
One of the reasons why the Chinese diaspora prosper wherever they go is their outlook towards life. Staying true to Confucius' teachings, education is given paramount importance. The desire to own land and properties is high on their list of things to do. These two traits with the desire to strive hard must the secret of success in life. This must also be the reason the concept of 'Malay Reserve Land' was thought about when the British realised that the Rulers had a real possibility of losing their ancestral land to new economic migrants at the turn of the 20th century.
Without a shelter above their heads and education (and a birth certificate), a Man will be considered a persona-non-grata in this country and has to make way to the next highest bidder. In essence, you are a slave to system.
And the original urban dwellers would show their resentment to the migrants and the system they plunge further into hopelessness. The bourgeoisie blames the poor for taking it easy, for their decadence and not saving for a rainy day. The poor feels that it is their birthright to be cared for, after all, they contributed immensely to the progress of the country. The politicians try to be the nice one to all parties. They need the poors' votes and the wealthy's financial support. Does it all sound too familiar?
This problem was there in the post-WW2 Britain, and it is here in 21st century Malaysia. It is the familiar story of the marginalised.
This 1964 offering appeared as a TV drama on the BBC as a sort of a public service to announce to the general public about the urban poor and their desperate situation being pushed around like herds by the system which was ill-prepared to cater for their housing needs. The portrayal of Cathy by Carol White was so convincing that she was often stopped in the streets to be pushed money in the hand and friendly words of encouragement!
This show was shot and told in a documentary-neorealistic style with mostly outdoor shooting straying away from studio dramas which were norm those days.A free-spirited easy going girl, Cathy, meets Reg, a crane driver or something of sorts. With the spring of youth and the spirit of optimism, they plunge into matrimony only to discover that life is not a bed of roses. Hardship rears its ugly head in various forms. Reg gets injured and loses his job. People look at children as God's gift to humankind and that there can be nothing more precious than own flesh, bone and DNA. So, Cathy and Reg receive the news of her pregnancy with open arms. She stops working. Then comes another baby and another. What can they do? It is just an act of love and of God through Man.
Their kind landlady dies, and her next of kins demand Cathy's arrears of rent. Soon they join the long list of the homeless. The queue for government housing facility is endless. They are shooed away like flies as they occupy caravans and empty spaces. Their children just grow like wildflowers, without necessary medical attention and educational needs. The relationship between adults is also not exemplary but go on by making the best of what they have and making themselves feeling contented.
Cathy and Reg lose a child in a fire. She eventually gets a temporary shelter for herself and the two kids, but her husband is not welcome. Slowly, the family breaks up. Reg rarely visits his family, Cathy loses her temporary accommodation and also her children to social services when they are forcibly removed from her when she is seen strolling aimlessly at the railway station.
The film created such an impact after its release that the issue of homelessness became a national agenda and was discussed in the Parliament. Sadly, as the director, Ken Loach puts it, it was a storm in a teacup. It was business as usual for the capitalist. Loach went on to direct many social awakening films. His latest offering is the dilemma of a working class man who has to work to support himself due to bureaucratic rulings but against his doctors' advice.
One of the reasons why the Chinese diaspora prosper wherever they go is their outlook towards life. Staying true to Confucius' teachings, education is given paramount importance. The desire to own land and properties is high on their list of things to do. These two traits with the desire to strive hard must the secret of success in life. This must also be the reason the concept of 'Malay Reserve Land' was thought about when the British realised that the Rulers had a real possibility of losing their ancestral land to new economic migrants at the turn of the 20th century.
Without a shelter above their heads and education (and a birth certificate), a Man will be considered a persona-non-grata in this country and has to make way to the next highest bidder. In essence, you are a slave to system.
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